I got a great question from Ralph on my Formspring.me account about my diet:

Ok, Sarah, I need to get serious about getting healthy and losing weight. I've got 2 beautiful daughters that are the joy of my life & I want to see them grow up, get married, etc. Can you tell me some more (specifically) about your vegan diet?

Ok, so being vegan…

It was a hard choice for me and I usually tell people that it's not always the right choice for everyone.
You can still be vegan and not be healthy (believe it or not). So I set out to address all the issues with my current eating habits, and it's important for you to do this before you decide to change the way you eat.

My main issues were carbs and cheese. This came in many forms. Bagels and cream cheese, pizza, pasta with cheese, cheese and crackers, nachos, and the list goes on. These were some of my favorite foods, my comfort foods. I was already a vegetarian so giving up meat wasn't an issue, but giving up cheese and dairy seemed almost impossible.

Then I decided to really be aware of my intake of white flour and processed foods. Not because they weren't vegan, but because they were bad for me and they would hinder my ability to lose weight.

I eat a lot of dark leafy greens, which is where I get a lot of my iron from, particularly in the green juice I make in the morning. I make sure I get my needed carbs from whole grains like brown rice, barley and whole wheat breads. I get creative with salads, I love adding new things to my salads. And I make sure to eat my legumes for protein. This includes beans, tempeh, tofu, & meat/dairy substitutes.

Here are some great resources: Vegan Food Pyramid, Vegan Health FAQ's

I'm the kind of person who need's hard and fast rules if I'm going to stick to something, so that's why I decided to go vegan. Recently I've hit a bit of a rut in my weight loss, I started eating white flour and I honestly feel like garbage when I do that. I've lost 22 pounds so far, but I've been stuck here for a while.

I've made the commitment to lose 50 pounds and I'm almost half way there, so I can't stop now! I'll keep you updated with my progress, and I hope I've answered your question.

If you have any other questions I would be happy to answer them.

I have become fully obsessed with Souen! Souen is a Macrobiotic restaurant with a few locations in New York City. A little about Souen:

• Since 1971, Souen has been offering natural organic food to New York diners, with the foremost priority being to serve delicious meals in keeping with good health. We prepare our food simply and naturally, offering you the best quality grains, beans, and produce. No refined, chemicals, preservatives, meat or dairy products are used in our kitchen. We also employ traditional methods of preparation whenever possible to enhance the healthful quality and natural flavor of our food. With the increasing awareness of the connection between food, health and the environment, we continue our consistent effort to maintain and improve upon our high standards and Macrobiotic principles. Our concept is to let people all over the world experience real traditional Japanese food, delicious Macrobiotic food.

I have no been to two different Souen locations. One in the Union Square area, and the other in Soho. The menu varies between locations. But everything I had at both locations was delicious.

Souen is traditional macrobiotic food, so they do serve fish. But everything without fish is vegan since they do not use any dairy products. So it’s a great place to take friends that might not be vegetarian, but have been wanting to eat healthier.

If you are unfamiliar with Macrobiotics, I really suggest you put on your adventurous hat and give Souen a try. The food tastes amazing, and you will truly feel better afterward.

The basic idea of Macrobiotics is simple.

It is thought that by eating balanced foods such as grains and vegetables that are more local and in season, we can maintain good physical and spiritual health and live in harmony with nature. A typical Macrobiotic plate for our area will consist of a large portion of grains, beans, seaweed, vegetables and vegetable protein, such as tofu, seitan, beans and tempeh. Following the traditional Japanese food model of a simple and natural diet, macrobiotics dictates eating food in a natural way – unrefined and unprocessed.

But what does unrefined and unprocessed mean? It means for example, eating whole foods such as vegetables together with their skins and stems. It means not eating husked, processed rice but whole grain brown rice. It means, we living people should eat from a living land – taking food in season, in its entirety.

To clarify, I do not follow a macrobiotic diet. But it’s something I enjoy eating when I can.

If you try it out, let me know what you think.

So this morning when I went to make my usual “green juice”

I realized that I didn’t have enough greens. So I decided to head over to Liquiteria (a juice bar in the east village that I’ve been meaning to try out) and see if their “all greens with apple” was similar to what I make in the morning.

Liquiteria has a menu of fresh squeezed juice, smoothies (that they call liquid meals), and fresh pressed juice. They also have a small take-out menu of sandwiches, wraps, soups, etc.

But I came for the juice! Now fresh squeezed juice would be what I make with my juicer at home, it has more body and is usually a little thicker than pressed juice, but it won’t last as long (you should drink it right away). When you find a place that sells pressed juice its usually made and bottled fresh, and will last a few days in the fridge.

Liquiteria has one of the bigger menus of pressed juices around:

ALL GREENS
kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery & cucumber

ALL GREENS WITH APPLE, LEMON & GINGER
kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon & ginger

ALL GREENS WITH APPLE
kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber & apple

MR GREEN
carrot, apple, beet, ginger, Super Green Food & Liver Kidney Lymph Detox

GREENS WITH CARROT
romaine, spinach, kale, parsley & carrot

MIXED VEGGIE
kale, spinach, parsley, celery, cucumber, carrot & beets

GRASSHOPPER
apple, pear, pineapple, wheatgrass & mint

THE KILLER
green apple, ginger, lemon & Immunity Now

THE KILLER XX
green apple, double serving of ginger, lemon, cayenne & Immunity Now

IMMUNE ROCKET BOOSTER
carrot, celery, beet, ginger, flax seed oil & Immunity Now

SKIN TRIP
carrot, spinach, cucumber, parsley, aloe vera & Liver Kidney Lymph Detox

I picked up the all greens with apple because it sounded closest to what I usually make in the morning. I like the juice a lot, it’s a little sweeter than I usually make mine, so I’m eager to try just the all greens next time and see if I can handle cutting out the fruit completely.

Of course the downside to finding a juice place you like is that you will be lazy and buy juice when you could just make it for much less money. So hopefully this will only be a last resort for when I run out of produce.

Do you have a favorite juice place? or maybe a juice recipe that you think I should try?

So I just finished watching the first episode of the new ABC show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (watch it on Hulu here) and I really hope that this show makes a difference.

Jamie is inviting viewers to take a stand and change the way America eats, in our home kitchens, schools and workplaces with the thought-provoking new series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, which has a special sneak preview SUNDAY, MARCH 21 10|9c on ABC, followed by a 2-hour premiere on FRIDAY MARCH 26 8|7c.

In the six-part series, Jamie heads to Huntington, West Virginia. Why? Well, Huntington has been called the unhealthiest city in America. Jamie wants to do something about that. Through his efforts in this one town, he hopes to start a chain reaction of positive change across the country.

So Jamie has started a petition to support the food revolution in this country. Please sign it, it will only take a minute of your time!

And we need to make a statement by supporting this show as well! So watch it on hulu, watch it on Fridays on ABC, send a message that you care about food, and DEMAND change!

So you might have seen my tweets about making green juice, or getting green juice. I keep getting asked “what is green juice?” or “what do you put in your green juice?”

So I thought I would make a video to show you what I make every morning.

That’s what I was saying as I walked passed every person who tried to hand me a Zone bar at SXSW.

Now I normally don’t care what other people eat, but when you a handing out a product, telling people it’s a healthy choice, lets give them the facts here.

Here are the ingredients in a Zone Perfect bar (Double Dark Chocolate):

Soy Protein Nuggets (Isolated Soy Protein, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Tapioca Starch, Salt), Chocolate Layer (Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Unsweetened Chocolate, Invert Sugar, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Milk Protein, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Carob Seed Gum, Gum Arabic, Vanilla Extract With Other Natural Flavors), Chocolate Flavored Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder [Processed With Alkali], Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Corn Syrup, Soy Protein Isolate, Chocolate Drops (Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Fructose Syrup, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali). Less Than 2% Of The Following: Glycerine, High Oleic Safflower And/or High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Chocolate Powder (Natural Cocoa Powder, Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Natural Flavors, Caramel Color, Cocoa Fructose (Fructose, Water, Corn Maltodextrin, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Natural Cocoa, Salt, Carrageenan, Natural Flavors, Tocopherol, Ascorbic Acid), Salt.

Wow, my head hurts from reading that.

Now of course my statement of “No Thank You, those things will kill you” might have been a little harsh, but people don’t know what they are eating!

The product is pitched like this “Excellent source of protein (12g). 19 vitamins and minerals. Rich in antioxidants. [Vitamins C & E and Selenium.] ” But there are 14g of sugar and 210mg of sodium!

This is why next year I really want to get Whole Foods as a sponsor (their HQ is in Austin) and get people handing out Apples on the corners of SXSW.

Think about it, and apple is just as portable, it won’t spoil very quickly, it’s great for you, and best of all…there is only 1 ingredient, APPLE!

Please do not be confused by someone saying all natural to you. Corn syrup is natural, but it’s also REALLY BAD FOR YOU! Soy is all natural, but when it’s super processed the way most Americans find it in foods, it’s really unhealthy.

If you take away one thing from this post, please try and eat food as close to it’s natural state as possible. You will feel better, spend less money on food, and reduce your risk of getting sick. Just by doing that one thing!

I really hope that this post will be seen as less of a rant, and more of a conversation opener. Do you like zone bars? Why? Did you know what you were eating? Please feel free to leave your own opinions in the comments.

So I was asked a question on formspring.me

How long have you been a Vegan?  And what turned you to choose that lifestyle?

So I thought I would tell you guys the story.

More details on the conditions mentioned in this video. (definitions from WebMD)

• Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. The condition causes localized chest pain that you can reproduce by pushing on the cartilage in the front of your ribcage. Costochondritis is a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment. The cause is usually unknown.
• Fibromyalgia syndrome affects the muscles and soft tissue. Fibromyalgia symptoms include chronic pain in the muscles, fatigue, sleep problems, and painful tender points or trigger points at certain parts of the body. Fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms can be relieved through medications, lifestyle changes, stress management, and other fibromyalgia treatment.

Here is a video from almost a year ago when I first went raw.

The chips were riceworks – Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps

The two documentaries I think EVERYONE should see:

Food Inc

King Corn

I have been a vegetarian for almost 2 years, and I have never been a fan of fake meat. Instead, I would always opt for things with bread and cheese or pasta and cheese, etc, instead of really adding more vegetables to my diet. But since I have been trying to lose weight, I have removed the cheese option from my diet be deciding to stick to a vegan diet and really make an effort to add more fruits, veggies, and whole grains to my diet.

One of the reasons I don’t usually like fake meat is because often it is still a highly processed food. But I had been hearing so much about Gardien that I thought I would give it a try. Gardien has two types of products, fresh (these would usually be in the produce section of a regular supermarket, or in the vegetarian refrigerated section) and frozen (these would obviously be in the freezer section). My supermarket only had frozen Gardein products, but I have seen fresh versions at whole foods before. I bought 2 different products, so this post is reviewing the first one.

Gardien crispy tenders. The cooking instructions were simple, oven at 430, 12 mins on one side, 6 mins on the other (or until crispy). They smelled great in the oven, and I just made a simple side salad to have with them for a quick lunch.

The texture of the crispy tenders was good, they were well seasoned (I didn’t add anything to them), and very tasty. It’s not something I would eat every day, but I think its a nice addition for when we just want to change it up a little.

If you want to try Gardien, but don’t feel like going out and buying their products to make at home, Chipotle is testing out Gardien in some of their locations. They are calling in “Garden Blend”. They are offering it at the following Chipotle restaurants:

333 E. Alameda
 Avenue
Denver, CO 80209
303-733-1331

149 8th Ave. (cross street: 17th street)
New York, NY 10011
212-620-4015

1629 Connecticut Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-8261

Since I started eating better I am eating much more fresh fruits and veggies than ever before, and I have seen a huge change in the way I look and feel. But as I continue to educate myself about more responsible ways of eating (and shopping) I’m learning that trying to buy and eat organic isn’t always cheep! And that is a big reason why many people don’t do it. It’s simply easier to buy whatever is on sale with no concern for what’s local or what’s in season.

I really wanted to find a more effective and less expensive way for me to get fresh, local, and organic produce. So after doing some research I discovered local CSA’s. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

From localharvest.org:

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

Advantages for farmers:

• Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
• Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow

Advantages for consumers:

• Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
• Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
• Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
• Find that kids typically favor food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat
• Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown

This sounded like a perfect solution to me (it also sounded like a great opportunity for social media). After doing some research I came across Golden Earthworm Organic Farm.

Of course I was smitten with their beautiful website (hosted on squarespace no less), they have a twitter account and they have a great CSA program. Unlike some other CSA’s I found, where your food may be coming from a few different farms, Golden Earthworm is one farm that would be providing all your produce. That allows you a much better connection to who is growing your food.

So here’s how it works. You pick a type of share (I would choose the Vegetable CSA Share which is certified organic) It’s a 26-week membership share (June – November). Produce is picked fresh from the fields, boxed up, and delivered to the pick-up location. This share contains 6 to 10 items each week, depending on the season and availability.

Here is an example the first share from last season:

1 bunch Baby Bok Choi
1 bunch Beets
1 bunch French Breakfast Radishes
1 bunch Rhubarb
1 bunch Japanese White Salad Turnips
1 bag Arugula -or- Spinach
2 heads of Lettuce or 1 head of Lettuce and 1 bag Salad Mix

You can see other examples of what you could expect to receive throughout the harvest here.

So I found a farm that I like, but now I will have to wait till June before I can start receiving produce from the harvest. I’ll keep you updated. You can find a local CSA near you through LocalHarvest.org

Are any of you a member of a CSA? Do you like it?

So since no one really seemed to have any input on what I blog about, or where, I’m just going to write about what I have been wanting to write about for a while. For a long time I tried to keep this blog mainly about social media and online tools, and while that is still a huge part of my interests, lately I’ve been wanting to talk about something that is very different. That is, food.

A few weeks ago I posted on my tumblr that I was tired of feeling overweight, and that I was ready to do something about it. I put myself on a healthy diet that consisted of lots of fresh produce (fruits and veggies), whole grains, and to try and keep all of my indulgences vegan (that has helped me to not fall of the wagon by eating a huge bagel and cream cheese every time I have a bad day). And I started to exercise more (mainly yoga and walking).

I’ve been posting updates on my tumblr about how much weight I’ve lost, and it has really helped me to feel the support of a community who wants you to achieve your goals. So far I have lost 7 lbs! So I wanted to share this with you all so that you won’t be as confused when I start writing about healthy eating, supporting local farms, vegan recipes, etc.